The Study for Judicial Education for Family Law Professionals in Morocco produced an empirical study of judicial decision-making in Morocco to assess the impact of family law reform, offering new data on the extent to which reforms in family laws are being implemented. The researchers also produced a paper on gender and judicial education, and compiled a comprehensive set of resources for developing pedagogical approaches to judicial education. These resources are publicly available on the project website. Finally, the researchers held a workshop in Oujda Morocco, May 2017 that brought together Canadian and Moroccan experts in judicial education and gender equity to discuss the issues and possibilities of judicial education in Morocco.

The project was focused on one part of the process of law-backed social reform: judicial decision-making. The researchers were particularly interested in the way judges were or were not implementing the new options for resolution and protection in Family Law that the 2004 Code provided. The project has three objectives aligned with IDRC(CP) objectives – collaboration, influence on policy and practice, and improving learning capacity:

to investigate ways in which Moroccan judges make decisions in cases involving family law;

to create a data base of scholarly research and writing on pedagogical approaches and challenges in judicial education; and

to facilitate collaboration between Canadian and Moroccan experts interested in judicial education and women’s rights.

The study, reflections and workshop proceedings, as well as additional reports and resources, are documented on the project website: http://glp.info.yorku.ca/